We all know that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and unprocessed complex carbohydrates is key to maintaining health and well-being.
They provide you with all the staple vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally and perform at its highest level, but in certain situations, diet may not be enough.
The effects of a high-stress job, a family, or even a few days of intense workouts can be enough to drain some of your nutrient stores such that your body is left grasping for whatever it can get to keep trucking along. And worse, when a cold or flu hits, the lack of appetite that often accompanies it also means a lack of nutrition.
Getting on a good supplement protocol can be one of the smartest things you can do for your body, regardless of your situation. It means that no matter what happens, your body has what it needs to run because the truth is, sometimes our lifestyle choices take a nosedive and we’re not eating as well as we should, exercising too hard, or not managing stress, which inevitably leads to nutrient deficiencies.
And of those deficiencies, both zinc and vitamin C are some of the most common ones out there but somehow play some of the biggest roles in supporting optimal health.
So, with that said, we’re diving into the benefits of stacking vitamin C and zinc together and why you need to get on board with it if you want to perform at your best.
Let’s go.
Basic Facts On Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and antioxidant that is essential for survival. While many mammals can synthesize vitamin C in the liver, humans are one of the few that cannot, which means that it must be obtained through exogenous sources to ensure adequate levels.
Its property as an electron donor accounts for all of its known functions in the body; it functions to prevent other compounds from being oxidized by donating two of its electrons to stabilize a radical molecule 1. However, by the very nature of this reaction, vitamin C itself is oxidized in the process.
But compared to other radicals, vitamin C is relatively stable and short-lived. Several studies have shown that a long list of human diseases may develop in part due to oxidative damage to tissues.
Research shows that diets high in fruits and vegetables—and therefore also high in vitamin C—are associated with a lower risk of severe chronic diseases, including cancer, CVD, and stroke, but also increased longevity.
While the primary role of vitamin C is as an electron donor in non-enzymatic reactions, it also acts as an electron donor for eight different enzymes 2. Of the eight enzymes, three are involved in collagen synthesis whereby the reactions add hydroxyl groups to the amino acids proline or lysine in the collagen molecule to increase the stability of the triple helix structure; two are enzymes required for the synthesis of carnitine, which is critical for the transport of fatty acids into mitochondria for ATP generation; and the remaining three are involved in 1:
- Biosynthesis of norepinephrine from dopamine
- Adding amide groups to peptide hormones to increase stability
- Modulating tyrosine metabolism
Long story short, vitamin C is more than just a vitamin concentrated in citrus fruits. It’s perhaps one of the most powerful and undervalued antioxidants in our nutrient spectrum and must be obtained in sufficient amounts daily to ensure optimal function.
But the thing with vitamin C is that during periods of intense stress (including illness and physical activity), vitamin C is rapidly depleted, which means that stores need to be replenished further to prevent a deficiency.
What You Need To Know About Zinc
Zinc is one of the minerals we hear a lot about when it comes to men’s health, but that’s far from its only role. It is an essential nutrient that plays significant roles in the body’s catalytic, structural, and regulatory functions. Research has found more than 300 enzymes and 1000 transcription factors that require zinc for their activities 3, 4.
Several aspects of cellular metabolism also require the presence of zinc, which makes it essential for things like growth and development, immune function, neurotransmission, vision, reproduction, and intestinal ion transport 5.
What’s more, research has estimated that more than 3,000 proteins in humans have functional zinc-binding sites, making it a key mineral that’s involved in several physiological and regulatory processes.
Interestingly, much of what’s known about the role of zinc in the human body actually stems from research into zinc deficiency. Because of its role in supporting immune function via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, a zinc deficiency has been linked to growth retardation, cell-mediated immune dysfunction, and cognitive impairment, along with increased oxidative stress and increased generation of inflammatory cytokines 3.
With that said, when combined, vitamin C and zinc complement each other to keep the body protected from radical damage and maintain optimal performance.
The Top 3 Benefits Of Stacking Zinc + Vitamin C
1. Boosts Immune Function
This one is probably the most obvious and well-known benefit to stacking vitamin C and zinc. Both play critical roles in supporting immune function and are required for optimal function of both the innate and adaptive branches.
As mentioned before, vitamin C concentrations, both in plasma and leukocytes, are particularly susceptible to the effects of infection and stress and are rapidly depleted.
Supplementation with vitamin C has been shown to improve various aspects of the immune system, including antimicrobial and natural killer cell activities, lymphocyte proliferation, chemotaxis, and delayed-type hypersensitivity 6.
Sufficient levels are also important for maintaining the redox integrity of cells, which helps to protect them against reactive oxygen species generated during the inflammatory response.
Likewise, low zinc levels have been shown to impair cellular mediators of innate immunity, including phagocytosis, natural killer cell activity, and the generation of oxidative bursts 6.
As such, both vitamin C and zinc are essential for modulating immune function and the modulation of host resistance to pathogens and infectious agents, thereby reducing the risk, severity, and duration of infectious diseases.
Several studies show that combined intake of vitamin C and zinc is effective for alleviating symptoms and reducing the duration of respiratory tract infections, including the common cold, as well as reducing the incidence and improving the outcome of pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea infections.
2. Supports Eye Health
Age-related macular degeneration is a common eye condition that develops as a result of deterioration of the macula, a small area in the center of the retina in the back of the eye. It causes loss of central vision and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Americans over 50 7.
Several studies suggest that increasing intake of certain vitamins and minerals can help prevent the onset and/or slow progression of macular degeneration.
The National Eye Institute has sponsored two large studies looking at the role of nutritional supplementation in MD, termed the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2.
The first study concluded that daily supplementation reduced the 5-year risk of intermediate disease progressing to late disease by a whopping 25-30%, but also reduced the risk of vision loss by 19% 8. The original nutritional protocol was based on:
- 500mg vitamin C
- 400IU vitamin E
- 80mg zinc
- 15mg beta carotene
- 2mg copper
In 2013, AREDS2 was introduced that replaced beta-carotene with two other carotenoids, lutein (10mg) and zeaxanthin (2mg) 9. Results showed no difference in the risk of developing advanced AMD with the use of AREDS formulations containing either 25 mg or 80 mg of zinc and/or β-carotene.
With all of that said, increasing intake of vitamins and minerals with antioxidant functions (vitamin C and zinc) and compounds with anti-inflammatory properties may ameliorate the risk for age-related eye diseases.
3. Wound Healing
While the body contains inherent mechanisms to heal and repair itself after injury, it still requires the presence of certain vitamins and minerals to do so—two of which are zinc and vitamin C.
Vitamin C plays an essential role in all phases of wound healing 10. In the initial inflammatory phase, it’s required for neutrophil apoptosis and clearance. During the proliferative phase, vitamin C is needed for the synthesis, maturation, secretion and degradation of collagen—the most abundant protein that forms the basis of all connective tissues, including skin. Low levels of vitamin C have been found to interfere with the maturation phase by altering collagen production and scar formation.
Zinc, on the other hand, serves as a cofactor for several metalloenzymes, which are required for cell membrane repair, cell proliferation, growth, and immune function 11. A zinc deficiency has not only been linked to delayed wound healing, but also skin lesions, growth retardation, and impaired immune function.
Final Thoughts
With all of that said, zinc and vitamin C are two nutrients that are often overlooked until illness strikes, and while they do play major roles in supporting immune function, they all have a plethora of other functions that makes them critical for overall health and well-being.
So, whether you’re getting them through diet or supplementation (both if you’re really on it), ensuring your levels are well above the baseline is key for optimal health and performance, regardless of age.
References
- SJ Padayatty, A Katz, Y Wang, et al. Vitamin C as an antioxidant: evaluation of its role in disease prevention. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003;22(1):18-35.
- M Levine, SC Rumsey, Y Wang, JB Park, R Daruwala. Vitamin C. In Stipanuk MH (ed): “Biochemical and Physiological Aspects of Human Nutrition.” Philadelphia: W B Saunders, pp 541–567, 2000
- BL Vallee, KH The biochemical basis of zinc physiology.Physiol Rev. 1993;73(1):79-118.
- AS Prasad. Impact of the discovery of human zinc deficiency on health.J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2014;28(4):357-363.
- G Terrin, R Berni Canani, M Di Chiara, et al. Zinc in Early Life: A Key Element in the Fetus and Preterm Neonate. 2015;7(12):10427-10446.
- ES Wintergerst, S Maggini, DH Hornig. Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions.Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94.
- NM Bressler, SB Bressler, SL Fine. Age-related macular degeneration.Surv Ophthalmol. 1988;32(6):375-413.
- Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119(10):1417-1436.
- Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 Research Group. Lutein + zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration: the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) randomized clinical trial. 2013;309(19):2005-2015.
- J Vitamin C: a wound healing perspective. Br J Community Nurs. 2013;Suppl:S6-S11.
- PH Lin, M Sermersheim, H Li, PHU Lee, SM Steinberg, J Zinc in Wound Healing Modulation. Nutrients. 2017;10(1):16.
